Insights from the Onsite eTwinning Course in Seville, From the Classroom to Lifelong Success: Nurturing Essential Competences

On 9 November, participants tuned in to the live broadcast of the opening day of the event, which included the second onsite eTwinning Prize Ceremony of 2023. Teachers from the winning projects STEAM Preschool Academy (age 0-6) and eTwinners as pros (age 7-11) received the awards and shared their experiences.

The day was opened by Ulrike Storost, Head of Sector, European Commission; Mirian Olga Cecilia Martinez, Head of Service at the National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (INTEF); and Juan Carlos Garrido, Pedagogical Adviser at the Spanish National Support Organisation and the Central Support Service.

In the first keynote, Irene Pateraki and Alexandra Almpanidou, Central Support Service, explored three educational frameworks (LifeComp, DigiComp, and GreenComp) and one tool (SELFIE for Teachers). The speakers highlighted the transformative potential of these in shaping a sustainable and innovative educational landscape.

The first day ended with seven networking activities where eTwinners were encouraged to use their creativity and interact with their peers by mixing elements from Spanish culture and their own. They collectively produced songs, recipes, choreographies, and recreated paintings.

On the second day, participants took part in 9 workshops that focused on topics such as environmental sustainability, digital competences and innovative pedagogies. Moreover, two of the workshops were hosted by the prize-winning teachers who shared their project results and recommendations for other eTwinners.

The last day kicked off with the second keynote by Dr Isabel López Cirugeda, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. She discussed the advantages of the use of eTwinning as a tool for project-based learning to develop teamwork and other soft skills.

During the third keynote, Mariana Morales Lobo, Independent Education Consultant, underlined how assessing competences should be a part of the learning process. She stressed the need to rethink the evaluation processes so that they are continuous, qualitative and student-led.

The event finished with a session that successfully allowed teachers to discuss projects related to a wide range of topics and to find partners.